Barcelona

So it seems like it has been a trend on this trip to barely make our flight, well it was no different flying from Rome to Barcelona. In the morning we head out and take a tour of the Vatican, the Vatican museum and St. Peters. Everything was breathtaking, overwhelming and surreal…it was just that the tour took 3 hours because there is just so much to see so we were exhausted by the end. So we leave for the airport at a decent time to Rome, but buses we had to take to get to the airport took a while. Well we finally make it to the airport barely on time, luckily the line was long and there were a lot of people to check in to the flight. Well we were flying good ole ryan air and they require you to print of your boarding pass otherwise they will charge you 20 euros. Well everyone printed theirs off except my aunt because 1. she had to change her flight, and 2. we went online to print it and the option to print didn’t come up so she couldn’t. Well we get to the counter and the lady is rude and is like your name is different (she’s married so her passport had her old last name) (although she traveled from the US to the UK and rome with it mind you) so she was like technically I should charge you 200 euros to do the name change, and 20 euros for not having your boarding pass and another 20 for your bags….well the lady got rude and started mouthing off in italian but long story short she had to pay 40 euros for it and we made the flight!

We get to Barcelona, check into our hostel (which took forever) and finally go to eat after not eating before leaving Italy! We eat at this tapas café-I was exhausted at this point and was over the idea of eaten ( I mean it had already been 12 hours why not go for 20) so I initially didn’t see anything that pleased me on the menu ( I can be picky) so I initially ordered a milkshake, well everyone was like you need to eat then I ended up getting some fish which was good. Arlan and Gina had sandwhiches, Keji had this egg stuff, and aunty remi had everything (hahah just kidding) After food we headed to las ramblas and went to an Irish pub (I know weird but we thought they had a 2 for 1 special, but that ended at 8:30) had a drink then called it a night.

The next day we explored las ramblas, walked along the beach, had paella and shopped in the markets. It was fun exploring and seeing Barcelona, we didn’t really do anything too touristy like go on tours because we were kind all toured out from Rome. Well later that night we decided to head out on the town to bring in my 22^nd birthday! It w

as me, Gina, Arlan, Aunty Remi, Keji, Anna, and Alana (two girls from our hostel) that headed out. We went to a place called blvd off las ramblas and danced the night away…the place had many different rooms so it was fun. I met a guy with the same birthday as me so that was exciting!

Well the next day on my actual birthday I woke up and one of the people that work at the hostel got me a chocolate filled crossiant, but that was about all the love I got on my birthday from strangers. I walked around saying “mi cupleanos” but I don’t think the Spanish are big on birthdays cause pretty much the response I got was “wanna cookie, I don’t give a crap” haha but we just went to eat lunch had the traditional paella again and shopped. My aunt had to leave go catch her flight to get home, but she ended up missing her flight, having to pay more money and for a more stressful journey so that sucked. But later that night we ended up going to a place to eat (me, arlan and gina got pasta because we were paellad out, but my sister got paella) well here is when our marathon begins…..

So after dinner we were all pretty exahuasted, my sister and arlan decide not to go out because they have to wake up at 5 in the morning to catch their flights.. But Gina and I decide to venture out for one drink since it was my birthday. Well we all end up getting on the same bus to get back to the city center. Arlan and my sister go their own way to get the bus back to the hostel and gina and I go to a bar her friend recommended to get some sangria.

So we get to the bar, and it was weird because there was no music just the chatter of voices. Gina and I sit down and split a whole 1.75 liters of sangria. Keep in mind at this point I am already tired…so after the sangria I could hardly keep my eyes open. Well were sitting there chatting and some random Panama guy came and talked to us and he was entertaining, but since I was falling asleep at the bar so I was ready to go so we hopped on a bus back…..well this bus ride turns out to be a 3 hour bus ride. I was half asleep and gina didn’t know where we were because I think the bus that we had been taking since we got to Barcelona went a different route. We asked for directions and everyone tried to help but the language barrier made it a but difficult. Long story short it was a 3 hour bus ride getting us back to the hostel at 5a FML! Atleast we can laugh about it now, but it was not fun while on it….

But the next afternnoon when I talk to arlan and keji they ended up being on the bus for three hours too (they had opera singer on their bus, so their bus was a little more entertaining...lol

Well it just gets better, so that morning after 4 hours of sleep Gina and I decide to check to go to lunch, then check out Gaudi church and leave to catch our plane at 7. Well we do everything and leave the hostel at 3pm (4 hours before our flight). Well to get to the Girona airport we were flying out of we had to take the underground, then a bus. Well we miss the 4:00 bus by 4 minutes and the next one didn’t come until 5, at this point we knew were were going to be cutting it close again because it takes an 1 15 to get to the airport.

Well meanwhile I realize that when we picked our luggage up from the hostel I had convently locked myself out of my luggage. I put my purse in my luggage and the keys for the lock inside my purse, so I had no access to my passport, mullah or anything. Well like most airports do, I figured they could break the lock at the aiport…NOT IN GIRONA…so we get off the bus and run to the ticket counter (its 6:25) and are denied….our ticket says gate closes at 6:35 but the lady is a total bia and would not let us checkin our bags….she’s like you are going to have to book another flight…COOL! So we go to check out our other flight options and the lady is like you can get on one at 10 for 200 Euros…about $300 dollars. Good joke! So gina and I call our dad’s and weigh our options out on the internet…I had to cut a slit in my luggage to get my passport out to book a flightwe end up going back to the ticket counter and of course there is a different lady there so we luckily were able to get a flight for a little cheaper 120 Euros…the flight we got on was probably one of the loudest flights I have been on. It was like we were on a party bus everyone chatting (but couldn’t understand them because they were talking Spanish) and everyone cheered when the plane landed. We land in Luton airport around 11:00